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Connect to Server

If your organization (such as a business or your family) needs to share data among different users, you can use EfficientPIM Network Edition.
To use the Network Edition, please go through the following steps.

Server

Download and install EfficientPIM's server software (EfficientPIMServer-Setup.exe) on the server computer. EfficientPIM uses Firebird, a world leading open source database, as its database, so you do not need to pay any cost for the database server. The installation program will guide you through the installation of the Firebird database and EfficientPIM on your server computer.
After this is complete, go through the following steps on the server computer:

  1. First, make sure Firebird Server has been running. You can run 'Task Manager' to check the process 'fbserver.exe'. If the process is not there, click 'Start > All Programs > Firebird > Firebird Server'.
  2. Start EfficientPIM. You can click the menu command 'File > New' to create a new data file, or alternatively, copy a data file already in use from another computer to the server computer, and then click 'File > Open' to open the file.
  3. If a password has been set for the data file, click 'File > Password Protection > Password to Open the File', and make sure to check the 'It may be accessed simultaneously by multiple users' option, then click OK. If you have not set a password, or do not see this option in the password settings interface, you can skip this step.
  4. Please remember the full path of the data file in the server computer (such as 'C:\Documents and Settings\your user name\My Documents\My Information.effx'). After the above operation is complete, click the command 'File > Close'.
  5. Click the 'Connect to Server' command on the interface.
  6. Fill the following information in the interface from which to connect to the server:
    1. Server: localhost (or server's host name)
    2. Data file: the full path and file name of the data file on the server computer
    3. Username: SYSDBA (default system administrator)
    4. Password: masterkey (default system administrator password)
  7. After clicking 'OK', you can connect to this data file.
  8. In order for other users to connect to the server as well, you can click 'File > User Management' and set username and password for each user. Please refer to User Management.

Client

Download and install EfficientPIM (EfficientPIM-Setup.exe) on each client computer that needs to access shared data.
After installation is complete, go through the following steps on the client computer:

  1. Start EfficientPIM and click the command 'File > Connect to Server'.
  2. Fill the following information in the interface:
    1. Server: the server's IP address (it can be the server's host name if in the same LAN)
    2. Data file: the full path and file name of the data file on the server computer
    3. Username: the user name that the administrator has set for you
    4. Password: the password that the administrator has set for you
  3. Now you can connect to the data file on the server and share data with other users.

If You Have a Firewall

If you have set up a firewall, note that:

  1. Set the firewall on the server to allow 'fbserver.exe' to access network.
  2. Set the firewall on the client to allow 'EfficientPIM.exe' to access network.